Do potatoes really fatten? Actually no they don’t but on the contrary they help lose weight.
Potatoes against an excess of liquid & fat, we have purple or sweet potatoes lets learn more about them & their use.
These potatoes are an excellent source of carbohydrates & they can be eaten even by who is on a weightloss diet: with the right varieties & pairings there is nothing to worry about!
Everytime potatoes are mentioned, they are the worst nightmares of those who are on a weightloss or low fat diet, and especially because the potato is rich in carbs it is seen as one of the worst enemies, but with the right variety, pairing & some care we can eat them without any worries, also because potatoes are rich in potassium, magnesium, zinc, fibre & vitamin C. There are hundreds of different types of potato, and some varieties are particularly reccomended for losing weight such as the sweet potato or yam, the purple potato instead is excellent to contrast excessive liquid retention.
The yellow fleshed potato for example is rich in carotene but contains less sugar & has quite a compact consistency therefore is ideal for boiling, stewing, or baking.
The new or young potatoes, if picked before complete maturation, have a lower quantity of starch, & if not peeled is rich in slimming fiber.
A research conducted by a group of researchers from the university of california and published on the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, following a 12 week study on 90 overweight men & women, divided into 3 groups each following a different diet but all diets included 7 portions of potatoes per week each portion could in a different but healthy manner, showedd how all the patients lost weight although only having just one product in common, this therefore proves that potatoes dont fatten obviously if could in particular ways.
But how should we consider & prepare it?
Potato being rich in carbs like starch & therefore sugars, should be considered in the same way as rice & pasta and therefore not as a side dish, it can be consumed 2 to 3 times a week, always cooked in a healthy but easy way such as boiled or baked. The best thing is to serve it as a main dish accompanying it with a source of protein such as fish, chicken or other vegetables like, spinach or zucchini.
Avoid absolutely pairing it with bread or pasta. It will not only be excessively caloric but this mix causes fermentation, due to the digestion of the potato starch that has different digestion times compared to the starch found in cereals.
Potatoes have quite a high glycemic index level that increases when cooked or eaten under the form of mash or gnocchi, but by just using a few precautions to reduce the impact the potatoes on our blood sugar level, we can eat them with no worries:
- when boiled, let them cool before eating, this way the glycemic index level is reduced
- eat them together with protein & vegetables, (lean meat or vegetables rich in fibre)
- Add 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil when consumed (the starch digestion time is slowed down)
- pair them to acidic substances (squeeze half a lemon or add apple vinegar, everything will be healthier)
- do not eat together with fruit (avoid especially fruits with high sugar content)
To reduce the calorie content in potato based dishes but make them tasty anyhow we could use herbs or spices, like for example mustard, it only contains 66 calories every 100g.
Take a look at our tried and tested method: Anti-Diet
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